Abstract:

The internationalisation of higher education institutions has been seen as a form of growth or even a measure to counteract the decrease in the number of national students. As part of the International Relations Office at the School of Education (ESE) of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), a questionnaire survey was carried out to find out and analyse the opinion of Erasmus and international mobility students regarding their academic experience in IPB. The survey was sent to former students who, regardless of the duration, 1 semester or 1 year, had an academic experience in IPB, covering students who attended the institution from 2015 to 2021. After conducting a questionnaire survey that was sent to 1240 students, 429 responses were obtained, aged between 21 and 26 years, most of them belonging to the European and American continents. Regarding the type of mobility, 221 students (52%) belong to Erasmus mobility, 195 (45%) to international mobility and only 13 (3%) students were identified as others, that is, students who came to the IPB for an internship or doctorate works. After analysing the data collected, we can refer as main results: Most students who performed erasmus/mobility at the IPB are fully satisfied. Most of the students come from the European and American continents, with the majority coming from South America, more specifically from Brazil. In terms of courses, the IPB offers a wide range of courses, many opting for this institute because these same courses are compatible with those in their countries of origin. Most students rated the IPB facilities as excellent or good, as well as teachers and non-teaching staff. All report being very well received and creating bonds of friendship quite easily. Unfortunately, the experience of many was not what they wanted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Keywords:

Internationalisation, internacional relations, ERASMUS mobility.